Boku wa Itsudemo Soba ni Iru
by chichamunkyhead
Summary: The gang goes ice skating at the lake one day... but a fateful accident takes its toll. Sorato (duh!), Takari, and bits of Jyoumi. (OK, so the summary sucks and it has nothing to do with the story but ... it's cause I suck too.)


(Title here; ask Tekno or Hitomi)

Boku wa Itsudemo Soba ni Iru

Disclaimer: Now, if I owned Digimon, which I don't, do you think I would be sitting here, typing this here story? OF COURSE NOT!! I would be making mucho dinero, baby! (OK, … yeah…)

Arritey, people… This is a new one-shot… DON'T ASK ME TO FINISH IT, CAUSE IT'S JUST GONNA BE ONE LITTLE STORY, OK?! I don't' mean to be mean or anything, but when I say it's a one-shot, it's a one-shot, so don't try to ask me to make another chapter or something… ok?

OK, since word pad won't accept the little thingies that go **woo** that can be found at the upper left corner of the keyboard when you press shift and that little **woo** button… I'll use the following from now on…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She waited at the bench with her best friend's younger sister, growing impatient and colder as the snow flurries seemed to turn into larger snowflakes. ~What's taking them so long…?~

As if to read her mind, Hikari looked through the crowd of bustling people, concern overtaking her face. "I don't know where they all could be. Especially Taichi… I don't know why he didn't come with us when you came to pick me up."

Sora simply huffed at her remark. "Boys…"

"Such a comment coming from you, Sora… especially since you seem to like one…"

"Oh, excuse me, Hikari? What's that? You should talk; you actually DO like one, and last I heard, you were going out with him!"

The smaller girl giggled at her remark. "Why do people always make fun of me for going out with Takeru… And we only went out twice!"

"Yeah, twice in the past week! Besides… you two are cute together…" Sora nudged her arm, snickering to herself as she did. She watched Hikari hold up a hand, covering her giggling mouth once again. 

"Well… I guess I really can't blame you for liking-"

"Hold on a second; you're going out with his brother, and then you're going to turn around and say that he's the one you want after all?"

"What's the matter Sora; getting jealous?"

"… Ano na!" Sora turned her head once again to the crowd, searching for any distinguishing and familiar features of her close friends. "I think I see … Jyou… and Yamato…"

"You think…?"

"Wouldn't it be kind of hard to miss a blonde and a blue-haired boy out of a crowd of one hundred brunettes?" 

"Well… I guess you're right…" Hikari averted her gaze to the crowd also, noticing two very distinguishable blonde boys. "Hey… I think you're right…" She got up, remembering to walk carefully on her ice skates. 

"Ah, choto! Hikari!" Sora dashed after her as they left their bench, pushing gently through the crowd to follow her.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Takeru!" Hikari's voice rang through the air, letting everyone around them know who was coming. Still running in her ice skates, she jumped to her boyfriend's back, hopping on playfully and hugging him tightly. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick!"

"Oi, Hikari; get off me – you sound like my mother!" 

Hikari walked around in front of him, disrupting the circle of nine other people. She punched him, a sour expression on her face. "Where have you been? I've been sitting over there with Sora for half an hour!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing…" Sora mock-pouted, making her way to the group, prodding to her boyfriend's arms. "Honestly, Hikari; if you don't like me so much, then why did you agree to come with me?"

"Because Yamato and Takeru said they would meet us at that exact spot at that exact time!" Hikari's voice seemed to grow a bit louder and more annoying as she defended herself with a defiant stare.

"So, you're saying that you wouldn't have gone with her in any other case?" Taichi's puzzled expression interrupted the brewing cat fight.

"Hmph!" Sora stuck her nose in the air. "'Thanks so much, Sora,' 'Oh, please come with me this time, Sora!' 'What do I get Takeru for his birthday, Sora?' To think of all the times that I helped you out!"

"All right, all right! We get the point…!" Hikari returned her face to Takeru's shoulder, then rising it again when she realized something. "I never asked you what I should get him for his birthday!" 

"I know, I was just kidding." Sora smiled as she replied, giggling a bit as well.

"OK, with all that settled, shall we skate, everyone?" Taichi rubbed his hands together for warmth, posing his question as the self-proclaimed "leader." 

"All right, guys; lake ho!" Daisuke's fist shot through the air just as quickly as it fell with the rest of his reckless self. He lay in a heap on the ground in the center of the circle, searching his ice skates to find the root of his problem to be a few laces tied together. "Alright, who did it?!"

Takeru snickered as the brown-haired boy's face contorted itself into a sour puss. Yamato did the same, receiving a slap on the shoulder from Sora. "Did you do that?"

"No, but Takeru is going to get one hell of a reprimand later…"

"Then why are you laughing?" She turned him around to head to the lake entrance, feeling his arm slip around her waist.

"Well, two reasons; one, because Daisuke's face was…" He finished his thought in a fit of laughs, calming down as he remembered the other. "And two; Mom…"

"Your mother will…?"

"Send Takeru to hell for playing another joke on that boy! Lately, those two have been going back and forth with practical jokes that Takeru's been grounded six feet under…"

"You're so mean…! I can't believe you, of all people, would take comfort and joy in other's pain…"

"Well, all's fair in love and war."

"Love?" Sora always got a bit jittery every time that word had come up in a conversation between her and Yamato.

"Yes, love; it's in the saying, isn't it?"

"I guess…" She blushed as she turned her head down, her eyes searching through the now very interesting black rubber floor. 

"What? Are you waiting for those three words?"

She laughed a bit nervously, her pace quickening. "Ano na…"

"Look, I've already told you; we kiss on the first date, and then, right before I propose to you, I say, 'I love you,' remember?"

"Yeah… I remember." She cautiously neared the ice, holding onto her scarf for warmth. She slowly glided on, shuffling her feet over the slippery substance. Feeling nobody beside her, she turned around to find Yamato skating slowly, rather enjoying himself. Putting her hands on her hips, she began to get annoyed. "Are you coming or not?"

Yamato turned towards her, a look of fierce hunt and hunger in his eyes. He glared at her, slowly skating in her direction. He gained pace with each glide, never taking his eyes off her. "Does it look like I'm coming now?"

Sora squealed in fright as she turned around quickly, skating for her life as she dodged through Sunday-skaters (A/N: lol!). Weaving her way through the crowd, the wind whipped into her face as she looked back every so often to find Yamato hot on her trail, closer each time she turned around. She finally made it to a clear spot of the lake, not hearing anybody slashing their blades behind her. ~Where'd he go?~

She turned around to find a very flustered Yamato dragging a few girls out of the crowd, a grimace of anguish and torture teasing his cold face. Sora laughed at the scene, watching as he eagerly let the girls slip off him. He raced to her, the same look of hunger dazzling his eyes as she quickly turned around, burning up the ice in a frenzy of strokes and slashes. She heard him gaining on her, the ice skates getting louder with each clack they made against the ice. 

Yamato reached out a gloved hand to catch hers, pulling her to him. "Ah… finally together…"

"Why do you get me so worked up about just wanting to be near me?"

Letting her go, he skated a bit ahead of her. "OK, Sora; later!"

"Ah, choto!" She raced for his arm, slipping hers through his as she caught up. "I didn't mean it like that… I just meant that you don't need to be so overdramatic about … wanting to be near me… I mean, you could at least say, 'Come here,'-"

"No way; it's been done before…"

She huffed and continued. "…Or, 'Let me hold your hand,'-"

"Ew, no! Way too obvious!" 

Sora smiled, laughing at his girlish comment. "Well, then; what's with the meladrama?"

"Just my way of showing you how I feel about all these other girls chasing me."

"Yeah, but in this case, you're the ONLY one chasing after me… and… do you think they know yet about us going out?"

"It's only been a few days, Sora… give it some time…"

"Yeah… that's what I'll be saying to you in a few months when a few girls will still refuse to believe that we're going out…"

"You think we'll still be going out by then?"

"Shame on you for thinking that way! Of course we'll still be going out! Silly…"

"Oh, yes; silly me. How could that idea have ever worked its way into my mind, huh?" Yamato sarcastically posed his question to no one in particular, continuing to skate with her. "Come on…" 

Sora felt his arm slip around her waist again, the other one holding onto her hand now situated in the same position across his back. She held his hand in hers, turning her face to the wind as she skated off into the afternoon. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Two waters, please?" The vendor handed over the bottles of aqua, accepting the money that Yamato handed him. 

He headed into the crowd, finding the strawberry-brunette standing by the railing, the wind whipping her hair. "Here you go."

"Oh, thanks." Sora opened it up, sipping the cool liquid gratefully. "Where's everyone else?"  


"Who cares? As long as we're with each other…" He moved closer, snuggling her to himself.

"Not in public… come on…"

"All right, then; we'll go home!" Yamato grabbed her hand, turning around towards the direction of his apartment.

"Hey, wait!"

"I'm only kidding…" He walked back to her slowly, hugging her playfully. "But I'm still gonna kiss you…"

"Oh, really?" She pulled away from him, licking her vanilla lips and smiling sweetly. 

"Yes, really…" His lips found hers softly, wrapping his arms around her back. He could feel her hands slipping up around his neck, the soft, gloved fingers tickling his neck. Their lips reach out to touch each other repeatedly, not caring who stopped to stare or gawk at them; after all, staring was rude, right?

"For the love of God, how many times have we told you not to do that in public?!" 

They broke apart to find Taichi standing with everyone else around him. 

"Nice to see you guys too… Where have you been? We've been looking for you!" Sora tried her best to shield her eyes from the setting sun as she spoke, barely seeing the visions of people before her.

"If you call that looking…" Hikari punched Takeru, now snickering at Iori's comment. 

"Anyway… Yamato, we wanted to tell you that Daisuke, Takeru, Ken, Jyou and I are racing; you wanna come too?"

"Sure, what's the criteria, and what's the prize?" 

"Three laps around the lake, and the loser has to do the winner's studying for the entire winter break." Jyou finally spoke for the first time either Sora or Yamato had heard that day, smiling fiercely as he did.   


"I guess Jyou intends on winning, knowing that none of us could probably do his homework…" Yamato smiled, intending on beating the blue-haired genius as he began to walk towards the rest of the group. 

The stationary arms around his neck told him otherwise. "Yamato…?"

He turned his eyes to find Sora's expression turned into that of an upset child. "…?"

"Can I talk to you?"

"Sure… Hang on, guys!" They turned away from the group, seeking privacy as they did so.

"Ne, Yamato… We haven't really been together that long, but… whenever we are together, it seems that you're always running off… It's either practice, or a last-minute gig, or something else…"

"Sora… I don't know…" Yamato searched for words in the pools of her eyes, finding nothing. "Look, I'll make it up to you, … I'll spend an entire day with you, how about that?"

"I don't want you to just … spend time with me if you feel like you have to."

"But Sora-"

"No, you do what you want… I'll be ok…"

"You coming, or what, Yamato?" Taichi looked over to his blonde friend; he and everyone else were apparently ready to start the race.

"Go…" She smiled nervously. "They're waiting for you…"

"But you-"

"Go! Do I have to take you over there myself?" Sora sniffled a bit, rubbing her slightly pink nose with a gloved hand.

"I'll tell you what happens…" Yamato placed a gentle, sweet kiss on her lips, walking towards the ice and preparing to start. She watched him as he skidded off, gaining on Taichi a bit. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^

A hand clapped down on her shoulder, startling the girl as she stood by the railing, watching him as he skidded around the rink. "Is something wrong, Sora?"

"Ah… Betsuni… I just need to be alone for a while, that's all…" Sora stepped out onto the lake, leaving Hikari standing there a bit concerned.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

She skated around slowly, twisting her body as she glided over the ice gracefully. Her hands, spread around her, held her balance as she continued the dance of a ballerina on the ice, the wind breezing in her face and forming red on her nose and ears. Sora continued this slow dance for a few minutes, taking in the gentle sight of nature around her. She looked up as a bird flew high overhead, yet she was still cautious of those around her and what she was doing. Returning her gaze to the ice in front of her, she skated by a few children, remembering her own naivety as a youth. She smiled inwardly, and slowed her pace, now skating slowly, alone. She wrapped her arms around her back, holding her hands as she seemingly strolled along, hearing her name called by someone behind her. Moving off to a less-crowded area of the lake, she stopped, watching the ice chips skid over as she did.

"Sora!" She turned around, finding a few girls, who looked a bit older, rushing towards her. 

"Hi…" Sora could vaguely remember these girls from school, their heavy make-up distinguishing them from much of the student body. ~They look so familiar… But where have I seen them?~

"Hey, we were skating around, and we heard what happened between you and Yamato…"

~Now I remember… They always hang around our lunch table… trying to talk to Yamato…~

"Anyway, we're really sorry about…"

"Oh… Really, it was nothing to make a fuss about… I mean, he just needs space…"

"Well, that's good." 

Sora then started to realize what was going on; she was being backed up, slowly, into an area of some restriction, she figured. ~I hope it's not…~

"You see, we really happen to like Yamato, and we'd hate to see him settle down so soon with such…"

"A simple girl like yourself," another girl finished for the self-proclaimed leader.

"What do you mean, 'simple?'"

"Well, being a mere sophomore wouldn't give you so much of a personality as someone like we seniors…"

Sora continued to back up as the crowd closed in on her, knowing that she would have to get away soon, with the weight pressing down on the ice.

"So, we were thinking, with you and Yamato separate, we would be able to… loosen him up." This time, a different girl continued on.

"What gave you the idea that we were separate?"

And then, it happened…

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Yamato stood with Taichi by the railing, sipping on a bottle of water as he and Jyou had a small laugh at Daisuke, still mad about coming in behind Taichi in the race.

"Really, Daisuke; we didn't know we were going to tie! If it makes you feel any better, the second-to-last can help you do our homework!"

"Oh, thanks, Yamato…"

"You came in before he did, Taichi?" Jyou now couldn't control himself, as he laughed up a fit with Yamato.

"What new ways have you found for putting down less-fortunate people this time?" Mimi waltzed up to them with Miyako and Hikari in tow, finding her way to Jyou's arms.

"Oh… It's just that Daisuke and Taichi now have to finish studying for Yamato and I."

"Ne, if it's any consolation, I can help you; besides, we might have already covered some things in America, considering we're half-way through our year already…?"

"All right, Mimi! Come over tonight and we'll get started!"

"Not tonight; remember? We were going to see the fireworks at the Sakura Park, tonight?"

"Oh, damn… Well, maybe tomorrow, then!"

"I don't mean to cut in on the fun, guys, but what's that crowd over there for?"

Koushiro's question seemed to sway the attention of the group from studying to a small crowd of about five or six people on the far side of the rink. 

"It looks like someone feel through…" Miyako stepped through the group, trying to find out what happened.

"Say, has anyone seen Sora?" 

"She wasn't with you, Hikari?" Taichi began to get concerned for his best friend; nobody knew where she was.

"No, I asked if she wanted to skate with us, but she said she'd be ok and went off by herself…"

Yamato and Taichi shared a glance, then immediately knew what happened.

The two of them raced off, not caring who they bumped into.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

~It's cold… I can't breathe…~ Sora furiously tried to swim upward, fearing for her life that she wouldn't be able to break to the surface. ~Please… someone help me…!~ As she felt the last of her strength leave her body, she slowly began to fall downwards…

^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Sora!!!" Yamato rushed over, bumping through the now larger crowd to find a giant hole in the ice. He threw off his jacket in a huff, along with his scarf, gloves, and ice skates. Taichi did the same, ready to dive in if necessary. 

Yamato ended up being done first, and jumped in the ice cold water, swimming downward, looking for a body. He slowly found one, reaching to the cold fingers and slowly pulling her to him. He swam for what seemed like an eternity upwards, feeling the need for air becoming greater and greater with each paddle to the surface. He finally broke through, bringing Sora with him. Taichi reached over, tearing her away from him and into his arms, Yamato being picked up by another man in the process. 

Taichi peeled Sora's coat off her, also taking the merino wool sweater off and replacing it with anyone's coat that had been offered. He watched as Yamato accepted a jacket from someone, then stumbled over to the limp girl in his arms. 

"WILL SOMEBODY CALL AN AMBULANCE??!!!"

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Mimi cried into Jyou's arms.

Hikari couldn't bare to look, her face buried in Takeru's soft sweater.

Miyako stood against the wall, tears brimming her eyes, a hand resting softly over her mouth as Ken stood by her side.

Daisuke sat in the chair by the bed, his hands in his pockets uncomfortably as he stared at the floor.

Taichi sat at the end of the bed, dried rivers of tears on his face.

Yamato sat in another chair by the bed, resting his head on the soft frail hand of hers. Tears still fell from his eyes, a small puddle forming beneath him.

Sora lay in the bed, an IV hooked up to her. The heart monitor indicated she was alive, though her eyes and breathing didn't. The soft, honey-filled orbs lay under slightly purple eyelids, now closed. Her chest barely rose, the seemingly painful motion taking an eternal time limit to happen. 

"I can't believe…" Mimi tried to have the sentence leave her, her emotions seeking escape and peace with the open. "How could we leave her…?"

"Don't blame yourselves." Yamato finally spoke, though he still made no effort to move. "You did what you could… and that's what matters…"

"But… still, we could have… I was the one to let her go… I watched her leave."

"Hikari, it's not your fault. You'd be making it worse for yourself than it already is if you blamed yourself." 

"Onii-san… Look at her! She's lying there because of me!"

~No… Don't fight now…~ Yamato gently placed Sora's hand back on the blanket, standing up. "Hikari… Don't do this to yourself; it'd only make things worse right now if we all fought with each other."

"Yamato's right… Sora wouldn't want to see us fighting like this over her." Mimi's muffled reply came from the silent spot of Jyou's shoulder, Jyou rubbing her back in response.

The signal for visiting hours to end sounded, each person remaining silent. Yamato sat down again, holding Sora's cold hand in his, attempting to warm it up.

A nurse walked in, distraught over the fact that nobody made any motion to leave. "I'm sorry, everyone, but visiting hours are over. I'll have to ask you to leave or call security."

Slowly, each person gathered their coats and things up, walking out. 

Daisuke walked out first, his hands digging in his pockets for nothing in particular as Ken and Miyako followed. ~Ganbatte… Sora-san…~

Mimi watched them leave, turning her eyes back to Sora, then to Yamato holding her hand. Another tear fell from her face as she put her jacket on, Jyou helping her. She reached for his hand as they slowly walked out, adjusting her bag over her shoulder. ~It's too early for you to leave, Sora…~

Hikari stood there, watching her brother and Yamato, two stationary bodies brooding over a third between them. She gently put on her coat as two more tears streamed down her face, Takeru soon following suit. "Onii-san, are you coming?" 

"I'll be there in a bit, Hikari. Tell Mom to wait for me…"

Takeru knew his brother would be ok by himself, though he wasn't sure how ok he would be at this point. With his guard down, Takeru knew Yamato would probably let anything come into his path, no matter how threatening. As they walked towards the exit, Hikari and Takeru shared a thought, neither noticing it. ~Please make it through, Sora-oneesan…~

Taichi sat there, another tear slowly falling down the same path so many others had taken, feeling the warm salty water drop to his hand. He stared out the window, sniffling again, blinking as another batch of tears threatened to spill. "Are you staying here?"

Yamato's muffled sobs could still be heard, the spasm of his back recoiling with each sob being reflected in the window. "Yeah…"

The brunette sniffled again, wiping his hand under his nose harshly. After a few seconds of sitting there, staring at himself and out the window to the rooftops, he slowly rose to retrieve his coat from the hook on the wall. He put it on quietly, watching Sora's chest rise and fall in a miniscule fashion every few seconds. "Want me to call your dad and tell him you'll be home later?"

With a sniffle, Yamato replied, still not moving. "Would you?"

"Don't stay too long. You wouldn't want the hospital to call your place, now…" 

Yamato chuckled half-heartedly, rising up to look at Taichi. Red eyes met red eyes, tear streaks being studied by each. Yamato stood up to Taichi, who walked around the bed to him. They slapped hands together, hugging each other in a brotherly fashion. Yamato felt Taichi slap his back softly a couple times, Yamato returning the gesture. "She'll be ok, man… I know she will."

"Watch yourself." Yamato pulled away from him, returning to his place in the chair, taking Sora's hand in his once again. Taichi watched him for a few moments, then turned to go, leaving the new lovers in the peace of privacy. ~I know you can do it, Sora… Tell her you love her, Yamato… you baka…~

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Yamato watched her sleep; the few seconds he sat there after Taichi left felt like hours to him. 

"Sora… Why did I have to leave you there? Why couldn't you have stopped me? I can't… I can't bare to see you like this now…" A hot tear slid down his face and rested on the soft pink blanket of the bed. "I can't stand to see you here… like this… Why couldn't I have taken you with me? Or why couldn't I have just said, 'No,' to Taichi? Why did I have to leave you there? I knew we didn't spend that much time together…"

He sobbed again as he continued to think out loud, not caring if anyone heard him passing by. "You could have just said to me, 'You don't need to do this,' or, 'I wanna spend more time with you…' Or I could have stopped myself. I knew something like this would happen… Well, not this exactly, but… Why did I even ask you out? I know that I like you, Sora… I know you like me… But now, we're here… You can't even hear me, damnit… I can't believe… I can't believe I let this happen to you, Sora… And now I'm blaming myself for this… Because it is my fault; I'm the one that left you. You had every right to be mad; you still do. When I see you like this… If only you'd slap me or something… and then take me into your arms… your arms that I long for to hold me… Your hands…" He trailed off as he picked up the limp fingers, sliding his fingers through the space in between. "I want them to be alive again… so I can feel your fingers against mine… your touch…"

^^^^^^^^^^^^

~I feel cold… And I can't… I can barely move…~ In the dark recesses of her mind, a light flashed, Sora reacting a bit by flinching her face. 

Yamato didn't notice, tear-clouded vision stopping him from focusing. 

Sora could vaguely feel someone holding her hand, warm… no, hot fingers wrapping around her cold flesh as she struggled to stay awake. ~Is that… you?~

^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Sora… this is driving me insane… I keep talking to you, and I know you're there… but you won't talk back. I can't stand it. I need to hear your voice, Sora, I… I need you…"

Yamato bowed his head, resisting the sobs he knew would eventually come. 

"Sora… just being separated from you like this, it… It makes me realize… how much you mean to me… Not just as a friend, but something more…"

^^^^^^^^^^^^

~I can hear you… But… I don't want to… I can't believe you're saying this to me…~

^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Please answer me… Sora… I think… I think I may love you…"

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

The distraught nurse walked into the room, hoping to be able to finally let this little girl rest with no interruptions. 

Walking into the room, she found a teenage blonde leaning, no… sleeping, it looked like, on the bed beside her, clutching her hand in his. 

"Sir…?" She gently shook the young man, hoping for him to wake up. "Sir? I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you to leave."

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thus began the longest days of Yamato's life. He went home that night, to a cold bed; an empty place. He didn't sleep. 

His father knocked on his door in the morning, telling him he didn't hear him come in. 

"I'm home...," he answered stoically.

His father left that day. Where he was off to, Yamato knew not; he didn't leave his room for anything but to shower and eat. When he did leave, he paid no attention to his surroundings. The note on the wall told him Masaharu would be gone for a week or so, depending on how much film they got on-location. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Yamato's blood-shot eyes wandered to the ringing telephone across the room, the light beeping as the annoying sound shrilled through the room.

~Damn thing...~ He slowly got up to answer it, picking up the receiver.

"Moshi?"

"You sound like hell!"

"Good afternoon to you, too, Taichi. What do you want to bother me about this time?"

"Loosen up, man; Sora's gonna be fine. I was at the hospital today; they said she'd be out in a couple days."

"Mm..."

"Anyway, I'm calling about a party we're throwing her when she gets out. Wanna come?"

~I don't... I can't see her. She'd hate me...~ "No, I have practice."

"A guy can't make time for his girl anymore? What is the world coming to...?"

"Well, I have to get going; see ya."

"Ah, ja na!"

~Damn phone...~ And with that, Yamato yanked the chord out of the wall.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Ne, Sora; we're so happy you're finally out of the hospital!" Hikari walked backwards in front of her, holding a present for her as she stumbled out of the hospital.

Sora held onto Taichi's and Jyou's hands, helping her walk out of the simple- and yet oddly-smelling building. "Ne, Taichi, Jyou; I don't need help walking; I'm perfectly fine!"

"I just don't want my best friend to have another accident, that's all..."

"Highly unlikely, Taichi. For one thing, the land holds a lot more friction than ice does. And for another, we have solid bedrock to protect us from falling, not thin ice!"

Taichi shot Koushiro a look that could kill, eyeing him warily. "Well, anyway; we're all here; wanna go to a movie?"

Sora studied everyone around her, noting that a familiar blonde-haired, blue-eyed guy wasn't with them. "Ne, Taichi, where's Yamato?"

"He said he had practice or something, and couldn't make it."

"Oh..."

"You ok, Sora? Wanna go to the park?"

"Yeah, Hikari... I think I'll fly solo, this time, though. Thank you all for being here to see me. We'll get together sometime and study for exams, ok?" Sora released Jyou's hand, turning to head in the direction of the park. Something stopped her, though. "Taichi, you can let-"

"Can I talk to you... alone?"

"Yeah, sure." She noticed that Taichi's hand never left hers as he grew closer to her. 

"Sora... while we were in the hospital, Yamato, he..."

"He...?"

"He seemed to be really concerned for you. That is, he was the only day he was there..."

~Only day? That time... that I woke up for a bit... Now I remember.~ Sora didn't want to tell Taichi what Yamato had said to her, feeling the matter needed to stay private. "The only day? But I was in the hospital for two weeks! And I was unconscious half the time! How could he have only stopped by once?!"

"Sora... He was really distraught over everything. I called him after the first night you were in the hospital. He didn't sound good at all; like he had been brooding all day or something."

"Oh..."

"If you find him, straighten him out, ok? Or else..." Taichi broke their hands, bashing his fist into the free palm. "...I will!"

"I'm sure of it. I'll take a walk in the park and see what happens, ok?"

"Ok. I'm so proud of you, Sora..." Taichi pulled her into a hug, happy that his friend was back and alive again.

"I know what you mean." She pulled away from him, kissing him softly on the cheek as she did so; a friendly gesture, they both regarded it as. She stared him over, slapping his arm playfully as she turned to leave. "I'll call you, ok?"

"You better. Ja na."

"Ja." She watched him turn back to the group; satisfied with the distance between them, she turned around, herself, heading into the park.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

She walked around for a few hours, contemplating the past few weeks. Everything from the moment Yamato had asked her out for the first time, to when they were at the lake, to the time he kissed her right before he left to race, then to when she found the group of girls... and to when she plunged underneath the icy depths. She thought about her stay in the hospital, what Yamato had said to her, to when she would drift in and out of consciousness, and about her friends visiting her every day. 

~How could he have not visited me more than once...? I mean… I know he was sorry, and it's understandable after our fight and what happened, but still… Didn't he at least care about how I felt, or what I was going through – didn't he care about me…?~

Sora continued to walk slowly, her gloved hands digging deep into her light blue, wool jacket. The pink scarf draped around her neck billowed in the wind as it rushed by in swift gusts. Closing her eyes, she stuck by a tree, continuing her thoughts under the bare branches.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Yamato wandered around the park for countless hours, his mind searching for an answer. He kept questioning himself and his motives, why he had done this, or what was the reason for doing that. He scolded himself time and time again for never visiting her in the hospital, and for not even calling anyone. 

~Oh yeah… I pulled the plug out of the wall… Otou-san's gonna be so angry…~

He sat down on a nearby bench to try and organize his thoughts. As he thought, he glanced over the lake, the bare trees covered in light dustings of snow, the few people walking in the biting cold of the park, the buildings in the backdrop glazed over with dried snow markings, the purple-gray clouds hanging in the sky, and finally the bending colors of the sunset lighting up a spectrum in the dome of the heavens. He sat there for what seemed like forever to him, simply thinking…

^^^^^^^^^^^^

As Sora soon came to realize that it might have gotten late and her mother would've gotten worried about her, she began to turn around from her tree to head home.

Only, one thing stopped her.

As she looked around to the bench planted next to the tree, a figure sat there in a stone-gray coat, black pants, and a brooding, slumping figure…

… with blonde hair.

She quickly pivoted herself around the tree again, asking herself over and over again what she should do.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Sora… Why do things have to be so difficult…?" Yamato didn't notice himself thinking out loud. He also didn't think too much of it, considering not many people were in the park today.

But his absentmindedness did reveal something…

^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Because you never came to see me." She stepped out of the shadow of the tree, answering his question.

~What in the…?~

"Where did you come from? And what are you doing here?" Yamato stood up, completely in shock of her suddenly august appearance.

"I was in the hospital, once upon a time. And this is a park, remember? A public place of recreation to have fun?" She stepped around to him, sitting down conveniently as she spoke.

"So I've been told." He sat down. "When did you get out of the hospital?"

He already knew the answer. Yamato asked the question anyway, thinking she had just been released and left her mother to take a walk in the park.

"You know when I got out. Taichi must have told you."

"So they were there to see you, huh…?"

Sora began to get aggravated. "And why weren't you?! You knew damn well that I was getting out of the hospital today, and yet you still didn't come! You didn't even come to visit me, at all!" She was now on the edge of the bench, staring at him with an expectant visage.

All he could do was watch some stray leaves rustle over the icy lake.

"Answer me!"

"…"

She turned her eyes to the ground, as if the answers were somewhere hidden underneath the dirt and small stones. "You said that… You said that you…"

"…"

Tears formed in her eyes. And with that, she turned around, walking briskly to leave.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

"I did say that I love you. And I still do."

She stopped.

"Then why…?" And turned around.

Yamato rose, walking around the bench to her.

"Because I thought you were still mad at me."

"How could I have been mad at you? You said that you loved me… So there was no reason to not be there, at all. You could have visited me… or at least called! I fell asleep all those nights at the hospital, wondering what was going on in your head that I wouldn't forgive you…"

He wrapped his arms around her, Sora returning the action.

"Sora… You have to believe me when I say that I do love you. And I didn't visit you for just that reason. If you had heard me, then that would have given you time to figure out your own feelings, and to think it through yourself. I wanted you to decide how you felt. If you hadn't heard me, then that also gave you time to think about our fight, and to decide about that."

She sniffled, still crying into his jacket. She felt his arms seem to radiate with heat around her, filling her body with calm and warmth. Her arms tightened around his neck as she continued to cry tears of happiness and sadness at the same time.

"Have you decided?"

Sora pulled away, looking at him as minor tears still flooded from her eyes. He reached a hand around, pressing the wool of his gloves into her skin to absorb the hot, salty tears. He traced the trails up her face to her eyes; she closed them as he did so. He softly ran his finger over her closed eyelid, watching as she slightly shivered in the cold wind. Yamato pulled his glove off, cupping her face in his slender, cool hands, rubbing his thumb over her wet eyelashes. It tickled her, as she giggled through a wall of a stuffy nose and a dry mouth. Cringing in his arms, she opened her eyes to gaze at him, the immaculate blue orbs of friendship gazing intently into her brilliant burgundy eyes. His other hand slipped idly into her tigers-eye hair, the soft strands sweeping over the thick fabric of his glove. Yamato's eyes wandered to her gentle lips, watching as the white breath escaped her. Slowly, his face hovered towards hers, Sora following his actions. Their lips met tenderly, brushing against each other lovingly as another breeze whisked past them. He felt her grow cold again, pressing his lips into hers as if to give her heat buried within him. Hers contracted, then reached out again to find his just as hungrily as Yamato met her. They continued to kiss as the sun set behind them, its final rays barely peeking over the tallest skyscrapers. 

It only ended as soon as it began. To them, it felt like an eternity.

"I do forgive you, Yamato. I guess I just assumed you would have known that I did."

"I almost did. But it still seemed like you needed your space."

"I just got really worried. You never visited or anything-"

His finger, pressed to her lips, hushed her, stopping her from carrying on. "Sshh. Don't linger on the past. Let's just concentrate on what lies before us. Come on, wanna get home?"

"Can we stay in the park for a little longer? We can go home when it starts to get dark. Just until the sun sets…"

"I think it already has. We can stay anyway."

She smiled. "Tell me you love me?"

"I love you…"

Her smile grew bigger. "And I love you, too…" 

They kissed again, the sky beginning to grow into a pristine blue as they began to not feel cold anymore, but warm with each other. 

And each other's love.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

SQUEEE!!! It's done! Thank God… I was afraid this one would take forever, just like that last chapter of "Yakusoku…" did. Again, to all of you who were expecting a follow-up on that, I'm sorry. It's just that I've lost interest in it. But, I do promise you, it will be finished. Just, not anytime soon.

I just don't wanna get into details with that story. Go read the Author's Note, if you want full-scoop details. Sorry!

Yeah, so.. this one. It just came to me one day. I dunno. It's like, it walked into my brain, and said "Hey there; you're gonna write about me, dangit! Start!!!"

Yeah, like it really did that. Can't you just picture a merry little folded up script walking into my filthy, empty head and commanding me to write? Yeah, I can…

Anyhoo, I hope everyone liked this one. It's for lime_lizard's Sorato contest, just so you know… If you didn't read the summary or anything and just skipped cause you saw that I wrote it! ::chibi poses all cutesy-like::

Ain't I just adoreable?!

Yamato: Completely…

Mou! Well, I have to be off. Science paper, due in two days? History test tomorrow?! AAHH!!! When will the pains of school leave me?! When will it end?! 

Ja, itekuru!!!


End file.
